The Cook
by TombRomance
Summary: Joline, a young chef on the rise, can never resist a request from her childhood friend Armitage Hux, General of the Finalizer. When he asks her to take over as the head chef for the higher-ranking officers, she's exposed to a world of chaos. Kylo Ren's temper tantrums, Phasma's constant need to be right, Hux's constant need to protect Joline, the Resistance, and so much more.
1. Chapter 1: Curiosity

A/N: Greetings all, I have come back from my brief hiatus! Before we get into the story, I have a few quick announcements and reminders. The Cook, this story, is a General Hux, Kylo Ren, and OC romance story, specifically it's my first three-person active romance story, so please be gentle. I have different stages of this series already written out, so my posting maybe staggered, please be patient, my goal is to poste at least once a month if not once a week. Constructive criticism is always welcomed, as long as, there is construction in it. I'll be editing my _In Captivity_ and _Dark Knight_ series soon-ish, eventually. Also as a reminder I am up for requests. Lastly, a special thanks to FluffyMonster, who is my beta, you're the best! As always enjoy reading!

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Chapter 1: Curiosity

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The air sparked with curiosity throughout the _Finalizer_ and its crew. Last week General Hux fired the higher-ranking officer's chef, leaving them with the mediocre cooks the rest of the ship's crew used. To say that the other officers were displease would be an understatement, but what drew the curious nature of the others more, is that the same day he ordered an emergency pick up. Instead of turning the ship to Coruscant, the General sent a one of the smaller ships to fetch whatever he sought, and today was the day the Finalizer met up with the package.

Many of the Stormtroopers arrived at the docking bay, their E-11 Blaster Rifles in tow, as they waited for the ship to clear docking procedures. Kylo Ren stalked through the halls of the _Finalizer,_ curiosity consuming him as well. It wasn't often that the Knight of Ren and Lieutenant Phasma were left out of the loop, neither of the two liked the situation very much, and they were both now heading to the docking bay. In preparation, General Hux allotted the docking procedures to the Knight, leaving the bridge as soon as word came that the ship was near, lieutenant Phasma quick behind to ensure safety, if anything were to arise. Once Kylo Ren cleared the officers ship for docking, he followed the other two to the bay.

There were many rumors along the lower ranks, some thought that General Hux was bringing a mistress of his aboard -this thought, the most absurd of the lot- and others merely thought it was the need to separate the higher ranked offers chef from the rest. Then there were the few who thought it was a little of both, naturally these rumors were shut down quickly by their higher ups.

The docking bay buzzed with quiet whispers, even when the domineering Knight rounded the corner. Though many of the rumors were laughable the Knight of Ren amused some of them, when he was alone and allowed to do so. It was rather strange, that tactics used by the General used to bring aboard whomever, or whatever, was on that ship. All sounds quieted when the Officer's Ship landed safely in the area. The Stormtroopers, along with their leader, changed their posture to one of an impending attack when the doors started opening.

* * *

A warm gust of wind tore through The _Endeavor_ as the doors slowly hissed open. Joline sighed, putting her hands out as if to break the wind before it hit her face at such an uncomfortable speed. Her efforts were in vain, as the small wind seemed to cut against her face and tore a few loosely tied tresses from the First Order dress code bun. She glanced over her shoulders, hearing the chuckles from the two pilots behind her -the Stormtrooper not hinting at any amusement. With another sigh, she dropped her hands to her side, there wasn't anything she could do now, but fix her hair when this was over with.

Despite the warm air whipping past her a moment ago, a chill settled into The _Endeavor_ once all things were settled. Joline was welcomed by a small squadron of Stormtroopers pointing their blasters at her, just as a familiar red head stepped forward. Her unsure features quickly shifted into a bright smile, when she locked eyes onto the General. Without any hesitation, she marched to the General ignoring the blasters pointed in her direction.

"I supposed it would be inappropriate if I called you Armitage." She chuckled, keeping her voice between them.

The General nodded curtly, "I trust your trip went well."

"She gets motion sick." One of the pilots sighed, earning a glance from the General.

"I also suppose it would be inappropriate to give you a hug." Joline called the red head's attention back to her.

Again, he nodded curtly, but took her into his arms regardless of his answer. The two took in deep breaths of the other, before parting once again. It was odd seeing such a difference from the young boy she grew up with, he wasn't so polished then. Hux lightly pushed her away moments later with a reassuring glance, making sure there were no hurt feelings. There was still so much to do. Almost as if the hug didn't happen, the General started barking orders to the lower members who were meant to move her in, before addressing her again. These differences were going to be interesting to get used to, she thought, watching as others jumped into action.

"I am unsure if I'm going to take you on your offer." She blurted out when his eyes met hers again. "I'm only here because you asked it of me."

For a fraction of a second Hux's eyes softened and a gentle smile touched his lips, he had forgotten all about her frank conversation style. "That is all I ask. You have six months to decide on the offer. For now, we'll worry about moving you in and getting you well acquainted with those you'll be working with, and for." He turned on his heels and walked towards the Stormtroopers, whose blasters were lowered once again.

"Six months?" she gasped, stumbling over herself to follow. "I thought I was only here until your dinner with Emperor Snoke."

"You are, I thought it best to acclimate you to this environment, before you cooked for such a figure." He paused, regarding her with his eyes. "Will that be a problem?"

"N-no sir." She breathed, remember the little First Order training she got.

"Good, tonight you'll be introduced to the officers you'll be cooking for. Tomorrow morning you'll wake up at 0400 to meet your fellow cooks, and have breakfast made by 0500. Is that clear?"

"I'd rather start tonight." Joline replied, "Sir."

"You need the rest." Hux's voice lowered so only she could hear, as they passed the Stormtroopers.

"I'm well rested from the trip, right now I'm dying to get a look at the kitchen."

"Fine," Hux sighed, calling over two others wearing aprons. "These are the people you'll be working with. Escort her to the kitchen, you can get the introductions done there."

"Yes sir." The two breathed in unison.

"They will show you to the Officers galley once you are finished, so you can meet the officers." He paused, before lowering his voice again "Feel free to call if you need anything."

"Understood," she winked briefly, before leaving with the other two.

At first the small group of three remained completely silent as they walked through the _Finalizer's_ halls. Periodically a Stormtrooper or two would pass them, nodding before disappearing down another corridor. Almost all, Star Destroyer Class ships had the same lay outs, and all one would need to do was glance at their personal blueprints. When they arrived to the largest mess hall Joline had ever seen, she let out an astonished gasp. She thanked the heavens that she wasn't the one who had to clean the area, as the two others continued through the lunch madness.

"It seems I have chosen the worst time to arrive." Joline sighed, glancing at the two.

"Not at all, for the most part they serve themselves, we just make sure nothing is empty for long." The brunet female smiled.

"It's nice not having to worry about feeding the higher-ranking officers anymore." The blond male finished.

"I'll help out with the lunch rush, then we'll do introductions and I'll assess what I can make them for dinner."

With that said Joline pulled her traveling jacket off, tossing it onto the coatrack outside the kitchen employee door. She didn't have the codes to the door, so she waited patiently at the entrance. Both chefs glanced at each other, watching as Joline glanced around the room. Working in a restaurant wasn't anything like this, so many people walked through the lines grabbing whatever appealed to them before sitting down. The cafeteria astounded her, she could put both the restaurant and her home in the area and still have enough room to build a decent sized building in the space that was left.

Once inside of the kitchen, Joline quickly pulled an apron on and moved to a station. Her fingers gripping onto a spoon before dipping it into the large pot on the burner. It was a broth, saturated with far too much cardamom for her liking, but from the looks of it, the broth would be poured over some meat and rice. Those would calm the cardamom taste, which made her less willing to change the whole recipe. She then tossed the tasting spoon into the sink, before dancing over to one of the food slots and putting more biscuits in place. The chef's glanced as she started working, a pleasant smile touching her lips.

"How long have you worked in a kitchen?"

"Since I can remember." Joline smiled, serving a Stormtrooper.

The Lunch hour passed rather quickly, and way smoother than it had been for a long while. It didn't matter that the entire cooking staff just met Joline, they already loved her. She was pleasant and exceptionally helpful. Once she could take a breather, Joline walked into the walk-in fridge with a datapad. They had the staple foods every kitchen has, along with a few items she hadn't seen often. Either way, she'd be able to do quite a bit with what they have, as well as, the few foods she'd managed to sneak in.

"I'm sorry, I completely forgot to introduce myself." She smiled, glancing back at the two. "Joline."

"Viloli," The woman, who escorted Joey to the kitchen smiled, partially bowing. "Tremarc is my normal partner, we cook during the day shifts. Loonreh and Droop are the night shift chefs. They've been helping us out while we awaited your arrival." She hummed, pointing to a human, Bith, and Rodian, she herself being Mandalorian.

"It's very nice to meet you all." Joline hummed, "If either of you need anything, at any time, please do not hesitate to contact me." She smiled, closing the refrigerator behind her. "I am grateful of everything you did, and for being so friendly."

"We're going to get some sleep." Loonreh hummed, exiting the kitchen with Droop.

"Good night." Joline and the others called.

"Do you need help setting up for their dinner?" Tremarc asked, redirecting his attention to Joline.

"Not at all, I'm only feeding three people, "she smiled "So, if you need any help please don't hesitate."

They three chatted absently as they started working on dinner and dessert. Much of it was Viloli and Tremarc asking Joline questions on what it was like working for the second most famous chef in the galaxy. Viloli laughed particularly hard at Joline's story, when she was training to make her mentors special dish, and she destroyed the meat, and substituted it with a vegetable. Ending with Joline cleaning the entire kitchen by herself with, a tooth brush and a small bucket.

"Oh, I'll have a guard escort you to the officer's dining area." Tremarc hummed, seeing the time. "You have ten minutes or so before they get there."

"Thanks."

Two men approached slowly, taking the tray's Joline handed them, she herself taking the general's food. Whenever an important figure came to the restaurant she was currently employed, the head chef would personally deliver their food. Now, she was sure they wouldn't want her to do this every time -it was messy and got in the way of cleaning- but the general had asked for her to meet those she'd be cooking for. The three traveled down the long corridors, turning left, right, and then left once more, before arriving to a bedroom sized dining area. Three officers sat neatly at the tables, pausing to look at the small woman, but soon turning to continue their conversation.

"Is this the cook?" The blond-haired woman asked, in a less than enthusiastic tone.

"Yes, Phasma, Kylo Ren, this is Joline. Joline, these are the officers you will be cooking for." Hux breathed, locking his calm orbs onto her nervous ones. "This is Kylo Ren, of the Knights of Ren." A low sound, akin to a warning danced through his voice as he introduced the man in all black with skin the color of fresh milk. "and this is Captain Phasma, she's in charge of the Stormtroopers we have on ship."

"If any of my men give you a rough time, please let me know." She hummed, nodding a slight greeting to Joey.

"From what I've seen, they are very respectable." Joey smiled slightly, "I don't envision anything happening."

"You've interreacted with the Stormtroopers?" She breathed, raising a delicate brow.

"I served them lunch, and helped to make some of their dinner." Joline smiled, brightly.

"Sit down, General Hux tells us that you've never worked for the military before?"

"I applied once, but I wasn't at all good at anything really."

A deep-set blush hazed Joline's heart shaped face. She had indeed signed up for any position in the First Order, but she was too clumsy to be a foot soldier -despite how hard her drill Sargent tried to "fix" that. She wore glasses, so she didn't meet the vision aspect of their pilots, and technology seemed to die a horrible death when around her. After six rejections, Joline decided to serve those who commanded would be the only way she'd contribute to the First Order. Cooking was her thing, she even went as far as to serve under some of the best chefs around.

"I see," Phasma smiled, glancing down to her plate. "What have you made for us today."

Joline beamed, excited to explain her meal to them. "I made a simple cream Risotto with braised Fish and a warm salad."

"It looks beautiful." Hux's voice relaxed ever so softly.

"First rule in cooking: You eat with your eyes initially." She smiled brightly. "Anyways, I was hoping that all of you could make a list of things you like to eat, things you'd rather avoid, any allergies, and any other information you think I should know."

"For?"

The harsh sound of Kylo Ren's metallic voice, echoed through the room, drawing Joline's attention instantly. Her features contorted ever so slightly, echoing more questions than fear. His helm cocking to the side, curious as to what was going on in her mind.

"Well I want to make sure I'm feeding you exactly what you like, and I really don't want to spark an allergic reaction."

A moment of silence echoed through the room, and for that moment Joline feared she'd been too rude to the Commander. Her lips contorted into a nervous smile, as she pushed the datapad towards Phasma and Kylo Ren. It would be best if she let them enjoy their meals, without her presence, and honestly, she'd rather clean the kitchen than be under the Knights stare another moment. Rumors of the Knight of Ren echoed through the universe, tales of his cold-hearted punishments and eerily mechanical voice, slowly made their way to the quiet cook.

Joline licked her lips nervously, before locking her stare to the sterile mask. "I have cleaning to do," she started, "please take your time with those, and I'll see you in the morning."

"Joline, before you leave, here's your code to the kitchen area." Hux muttered, a tone of protectiveness touching his voice. "This also has the information on your room and the ship. Tomorrow, at some point, our doctors would like to examine you."

"Thank you."

With the subtitle dismissal, Joline made her way back to the kitchen. Things were much quieter when she strolled through the employee entrance, it was that precious moment when kitchen staff could be themselves and relax. The others already have the counters sparkling and cleared off, Viloli's laugh bounced from the walls, as she sipped her wine.

"Mh, Joline," she purred, hopping off the kitchen stool. "I have a glass for you, how was your meeting with the officers?"

"Good…ish," Joline sighed, taking the wine glass. "Is, Commander Ren always so…."

"Domineering."

"Scary."

"Rude."

They were questions, and yet there was no sound of it, more like statements. Viloli settled back into her seat, her fingers beckoning Joey to join her. Joline shook her head lightly, her lips taking in a sip of her drink. None of those words described what she meant. She wouldn't consider his questions rude, and where as his stature was rather intimidating she didn't find that scary. No, what she meant to ask was distant. Without meaning to, they had answered her question, the Commander was indeed distant

"He just seems so… lonely."

This was the first time in a long time, she found herself holding onto the word so, so much. It nearly felt like she was a teen again, talking to her best friends about… well boys in the First Order schools. Joline's cheeks flared, thinking on those old days, and seeing how things had changed, how much **she** had changed. Both Viloli and Tremarc laughed rather loudly at Joey's statement, as if it were something they'd never thought of.

"He created his own situation," Tremarc sighed, taking a seat. "I have no sympathy for him."

"I guess," Joline hummed, taking a much larger sip of the blood red liquid. "It's just… kind of sad."

"You'll learn soon enough," Viloli hummed, patting the other females knee. "So, should we call you Joline, or would you prefer another name?"

"Joey works, actually, I usually prefer it." She chuckled, a fond smile touching her lips. "The only person who calls me Joline is General Hux."

The two glanced at each other, knowingly, before looking back to the dark-haired woman. Viloli smiled slyly, as she sank comfortably into her seat, her eyes dancing along the near perfect posture of the other female. Joline glanced questioningly to Tremarc, asking him what was going on, and why she felt like an investigation was going to happen.

"So, could you settle something for us?" Viloli purred smoothly.

"Um… sure… I'll try my best."

"There are have been rumors about his sudden urge to fire the last chef, and then how he secretly sent for you…" she allowed her words to hint at her question. "and from the way you talk about him, there must be some truth to the rumors… so what exactly is your relationship with our beloved General?"

"Oh," Joey chuckled halfheartedly. "Is that all? The general and I are old friends, when my parents passed, his father took me in."

"That's so sweet!" Viloli cooed, some disappointment laced in her words. "You guys must be so close!"

"Nearly siblings…" Tremarc responded, sending Viloli a stare.

The light sound of the door swishing open, drew their attention away from the conversation. Both Droop and Loonreh rounded the corner, bright smiled very apparent on their faces. Joey smiled, slightly waving to the men. She hadn't realized how late it was, not until the heaviness of the ship gravity seemed to pull sleepily at her eyes. She smiled brightly, before sliding down the side of the stool, it was late, and she still had to find her room.

"Whelp, I'm going to sleep. Good night boys, let me know if you need anything." Joey hummed, patting Droop on the shoulder.

"Night kiddo." Loonreh smiled. "Your room is on the Officers floor, I think the closest to the shoot."

"Thanks, that helps a lot."

The halls echoed with each step she took, most stormtroopers and almost all the technicians were in bed. Now was the only time the janitors could clean the ship to the general's expectations, and the ship ran on a skeleton crew at nights, leaving Joey alone in the halls. Her fingers slid along the sleek silver walls, taking in the cold chill of space. Like a normal home, the kitchen was at least twenty degrees warmer. The only difference here being that the kitchen was the normal temperature of a home, and the ship nearly thirty degrees cooler. Once in her room, she would need to bundle up, until she found a way to get used to the cold of the ship. IF she found her room, that is.

Her first problem was finding the officers level, which on most star destroyers was the sixth level, this one not so much. Joey huffed, finally pulling out the map she was given before arriving to the ship. The data pad warmed her ice like fingers, as she tapped the screen. Two floors higher than she originally thought, her room was even highlighted -something Armitage must have done, knowing she'd get lost on her first week. Her stoic features, melted into a warmer smile as she marched to the shoot. They certainly needed to catch up, even if it had to be in secret. Speaking with those in the kitchen, Joey now understood why Armitage wanted some level of secrecy on their past.

"Here we go," she purred, finally reaching her room.

Heat rolled over her chilled features when the door opened, the heat nearly overwhelming at first but soon became welcomed. A stinging sensation radiated through her chilled bones, as she took in the rooms design. One was welcomed by a small living area, and to the far right was a small kitchen. There were large French doors behind the black couch, leading to what she assumed was her bedroom. Joey hummed, seeing the familiar red-haired man lying on the couch.

"I thought you'd be in bed by now." She cooed, stepping more into the room.

"Normally, but I was waiting to see how the kitchen staff was treating you." He groaned, sleep cracking his voice, as his large fingers rubbed his eyes. "What time is it?"

"Nearly 1200 hours." She chuckled, tiredly. "I enjoy everyone, though I'm sure Commander Ren isn't a fan of mine."

Hux snorted, as he pulled himself into a slightly slouching position. "He doesn't like anyone. So, flying still makes you sick?"

"Shut up," Joey sighed, plopping next to him. "I'm sure you still get the heebie-jeebies when you see little kids' teeth."

"Hey, they have a whole set of teeth under them, and they look sharp and are tiny."

They both chuckled, settling in a more comfortable position. The general settled into the back of the couch, both arms splayed over the back, as Joey rested her body into his, head on his shoulder. It was comfortable. Familiar. Welcomed. Joey yawned, breathing in his scent.

"It's late," Armitage yawned, shifting more into the couch. "You really should go to bed sooner than this…"

"You wanted me to bond with the staff," Joline retorted quietly. "Look at whose talking, you're the one galivanting around in girl's rooms."

"We'll catch up during breakfast." He hummed, drawing her closer to his body.

"Good… I missed you."

Her voice quiet and lethargic, as sleep slowed the cadence of her words. Before the general could respond back, he was greeted with quiet snores. A smile warmed his features, as he snuggled more into the cushions. There were worse places to be trapped for the night, and at least this way, he knew she was safe.

"I…missed you too."


	2. Chapter 2: Kindness

Authors Note: First of, I do want to apologize with my slow posting, I've been having some family and work issues that bled into my writing time. I'm a few pages in with chapter 3, and I have a fairly good outline for the next few chapters, so we'll see what comes up. Secondly, I'm so excited with the number of followers this story already has! Though this hasn't come up yet, I have a sneaking suspicious someone is going to ask the question of why General Hux is out of character. My answer to this question -even though I don't think his is too out of character- is every person is different around different groups, and Joline is his old friend. She takes the weight of the world from his shoulders, makes him a better and happier person… As always thank you for reading!

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Chapter 2: Kindness

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Hux sighed, the uncomfortable feeling of sleeping on a couch hurting every inch of his body. It's been such a long time since he last made the bad decision of sleeping upright, his body screaming for him to remedy the situation. His hips shifted, drawing the weight on his chest more to the left. With a mighty yawn, he glanced down to look at the familiar mass. The feeling was almost instant, his heart warming with memories of nights spent talking till the wee hours. She, truly being his only confidant. Only she knew the abuses of his home life, and only she saw the quite disappointment of his father at whatever he does. Joline was the only salvation he had at home, and now she was here, making life on _The Finalizer_ bearable.

Joey shifted in her sleep, drawing the general's attention back to the here and now. Armitage only had two choices, one, he could try his best to sneak away, and two, he could simply wake her so they both could start the day. If he were to go with his first option, Joey would instantly wrap her arms around his waist, groaning like a child when their parents took away their play thing, but it was too early to wake her for work. The room was quiet, arming him with the hopes she'd fall back asleep if he slipped from her grip quickly.

He is well-aware of what it would look like if he were spotted leaving her room at 0300 hours, especially with the rumors going around, and he wanted to avoid that. She didn't deserve rumors going about, and god knew he didn't want to deal with it. Joey sighed sweetly, digging her face more into his shoulder, as she shifted in her sleep. It always astounded Hux, at how Joline never seemed to be bothered by sleeping in such an uncomfortable position. Her bright eyes fluttered open, sending a warm panic through his heart.

"Morning," Joline hummed, voice straining as she stretched. "What time is it?"

"0315 hours," he sighed, leaning his head back. "How did I wake you?"

"Shoot, I'm late." Joey yelped, shooting from her position. "Can't be late for my first day at work," she chuckled, as she bolted for the bathroom.

The general chuckled, glancing down at his wrinkled uniform with small smudges of drool, he knew what she left off. He was well known for being stern and regimented, and being such a long-time friend, she definitely was hinted to that. He hummed quietly, before shuffling out of the room, times have changed, and he wasn't sure if he liked it. Joline rushed from the bathroom like a storm, nearly fifteen minutes later, forcing her arms into her First Order jacket, as she pulled her hair into a tight up-do.

"Your turn," she hummed, tumbling into the empty living space.

Disappointment touched her features, seeing the general had already left. In the past he would have at least left a note, but usually he'd sit on the couch until he could properly clean up. Oh, how things have changed. She didn't dwell on it too much, seeing the bright red lights, flickering 0330. She still had five minutes to make it to the kitchen and start breakfast, a time limit she was determined to make. Joline bolted out the door, once she made sure all her articles of clothing were on, and to the general's liking.

Moments later Joline landed on her bottom, a wince evident on her features. In her rush, she hadn't heard the low thumps of leather boots on the smooth metallic surface, nor did she see the masked Knight walking through the halls.

"I-I'm so sorry," she purred, looking up to Kylo Ren.

"Here's the information you asked for." He sighed, starting to walk away again. "Be more careful next time."

A sound, much like dripping water echoed from her pocket, drawing her attention away from the dark figure. In the top right-hand corner of her datapad, flashed a small envelope, with Kylo Ren's name. The thought was an amusing one, he was the farthest person she'd imagine would oblige her request, and yet he was the first to answer the call. Two more envelopes appeared soon afterwards, one from Phasma and the other from the general. Armed with a smile, Joline pushed herself back to her feet, and carefully headed back to the shoot. She may have not won the war, but she had won her first battle.

Joey,

I've requested for First Order blacks to be sent to your room later this evening. Those should help you adjust to space temperatures. Have a good, official, first day.

Armitage.

Though sterile to most, Joline knew that all the care in the galaxy was typed in that message. Her smile brightened even more, as she tucked the pad back into her pocket. It felt like the first day of school, little jitters pulsing through her body and the silly worry of making a good first impression. Today was her first full day where the chefs could see her function under pressure, see how she handles the long hours of kitchen duty. They had fun yesterday, getting to know each other, but today she had to prove she was worth all the trouble.

"Good morning," Joline half sang, skipping into the employee entrance.

"Morning." Tremarc grunted, as his finger pulled his long silver hair back. "There's nothing good about it."

"Don't mind him, Joey, Tre isn't much of a morning person." Viloli chuckled, rounding the corner. "How did you sleep?"

"Well, and yourself?"

"Not long enough." Viloli nodded to the small coat rack on the wall. "We've put up your name and an apron on your hook."

Wordlessly, Joline walked over to the wall, Joline in neat print marked where her hook and small six-inch by four-inch cubby. The idea of a cubby in a kitchen was an amusing one, why would a chef need one inside the kitchen? Inside the small space lay a small black and gray package, with a bright red card. Her bright eyes danced to the analog clock in the corner, she had fifteen minutes left to start and finish breakfast, there was no time to fool around with this gift. For now, Joey would put it out of her mind, and maybe open it later.

"Okay, let's take a quick look at the preferences." Joey purred, pulling out her Data Pad.

Phasma list of dislikes took up most of the page, giving Joline a lot to figure out about the tall blond woman. Kylo Ren's, however, had barely any information at all. The young chef sighed, her pearly whites nibbling on her bottom lips -something she often does while deep in thought. How on earth was she going to feed these people?

"Ok, so the General first." She sighed, pulling out the ingredients for his omelet.

"Oh dear, the general doesn't eat omelets." Viloli hummed thoughtfully, as she passed the station.

"He's very picky about the cook, but he enjoys them when they are made well." Joey smiled. "His nanny taught me how to tell when it's cooked perfectly."

Viloli looked unsure about the situation but took the answer none the least. The Mandalorian's fingers tucked an awkwardly long -yet impossibly short- red tress of bang into her hair net, before going back to prep work. Her features were sharp and angular, much to the typical Mandalorian physique, the only difference being the large childbearing hips of hers. Joey didn't often stare at her kitchen co-workers, but her eyes would dance over, every so often.

"What are you going to make the Captain and Commander?" Tremarc yawned out, a large cup of coffee in hand.

"Captain Phasma mentioned liking Oatmeal, so for today I was going to make that. Tomorrow could be dedicated to playing with her tastes." Joey purred scooting the Omelet onto a clean plate.

Before moving on to the oatmeal dish, Joey slide the used dishes into the sink, vowing she'd clean those when she got back. She made quick work of chopping the fresh fruits and nuts, to top the boiled oats. Sprinkling in a little Mable syrup and brown sugar, Joey turned her attention to Kylo Ren's lists. The dark-haired woman sighed, she honestly preferred too much information, then not enough. Seven more minutes till she had to finish up the food. With so little from the Knight, she decided to start with the basics. Being one of the heads of the ship, he'd need something mobile.

"Burrito it is."

The other chefs gave her an amused glance, before continuing with their duties. It was time, just as Joline slide the last of the food on a plate, a look of accomplishment touched her features. In many restaurants, it was common practice to have a chef work up the ranks, once being a bust "boy" and now a Chef -either sough or head. Joline, often moonlights as a waitress when there weren't enough. Her fingers pulled the plates into a safe position along her arms, as she marched for the door.

"Where are you going?" Tremarc half shouted.

"Uh… to the Officers lounge area?" She questioned, as if it were obvious.

"Here," Viloli hummed, walking to the small ship screen on the wall. "The last chef always checked on their positions. The General and Commander don't get a long, so they are often half a ship away from each other. Phasma on the other hand, is obsessed with making sure her men are ready for a surprise attack. She'll probably be in the training hall."

"Oh, thank you for the heads up."

Viloli chuckled, seeing Joline glance from the control panel, to her arms, and then back. "So, what you'll do, when you have free arms, is type in your id number like so…" she hummed typing in a series of numbers. "and then select the person whom you are looking for. Captain Phasma is in the training room, the general is in his office, and Commander Ren seems to be going to his personal training room."

"Thanks again." Joey hummed happily.

"I can send people with you…maybe lessen your load."

"No need, I'll only be a moment."

Unlike the night before, the halls burst with life as the Stormtroopers marched around. Their uniforms shining in the lights, as they went to and from the showers, or towards the mess hall -in the hopes of getting food before training. Joey smiled brightly, when one trooper held the shoot for her to board. If she weren't in the middle of doing something, she probably would have started some sort of conversation, but she had to remember where the training room was.

"Are you going to Captain Phasma?" the trooper hummed beside her.

"I am," Joline nodded, glancing up. "I'm also very terrible when it comes to my sense of direction."

"We are heading to the training area and can show you the way."

"That would be great," she hummed, wanting more than anything to shake his massive gloved hand. "I'm Joline, and if I could, I would shake your hand."

"FN-2187."

Almost instantly her nose crinkled, as her features scrunched into a mask of confusion, only momentarily forgetting about the ordinance. No names, for certain people in the First Order. It kept their individuality away, a distraction from the war. It kept their loved ones safe, their mind on the war, and a subtle reminder of what life was like before the First Order. Chaos, Jedi were killing everyone, wars were breaking out to destroy the Republic. No, no one here wanted to return to those days.

"Let's go Ms. Joline." FN-2187 hummed, walking from the shoot. "Captain doesn't like waiting on her food."

Joey rushed forward, not wanting to get separated from the men. Her fingers gripping tightly onto the plates. On second thought, she probably should have left the other's foods under a hot lamp, but she did detest the idea of making multiple trips. Moments later they arrived at a room, which seemed half the size of the docking bay, with padding in the center and a few mirrors along the walls. This room, far colder than most, sang of hand to hand battle training. Joey knew that this floor was dedicated to training First Order men, but seeing a fraction of it, greatly astounded her.

"Captain is through those doors." FN-2187 hummed, pointing to the far corner.

"Thank you, again."

Phasma sighed, hearing her doors open, her entire schedule off kilter due to a new batch of troopers. She was in no mood to deal with another last-minute change, nor one to be around others. Emperor Snoke would be here in six or so months, and she still had four battalions to train by then. Then there were the stresses of having to deal with the General and Commander, both of whom kept coming in to bitch about the other.

"What is it now?" She all but growled.

"Breakfast," Joline's bright voice danced through the dark gray room. "I've heard it's the most important meal of the day. Good morning Captain Phasma."

"Morning."

The blonde woman turned, glancing at her companion for a long moment. As far as morning people went, Joey was by no means annoying, taking subtle hints to quiet down, something Phasma greatly appreciated. The new chef smiled again, placing the white bowl with oatmeal down in front of the Captain.

"Viloli just started making coffee, one of the kitchen staff will be back with your thermos."

Magic words, Coffee, the mere mention brought a tired smile from the officer." Thank you."

"Have a good day," Joey purred, skipping out of the room.

In all honestly, she had no idea how she was a morning person, since she'd never been one growing up. Though, having to do early mornings for years probably helped to train her. Phasma hummed some sort of a dismissal to Joey, before starting to bark training orders to her men, leaving the less than capable women to her job. As promised, there was another directional panel displayed near the shoot, this one a warm blue in color, rather than the sterile silver in the kitchens. Commander Kylo Ren's position was the closest to the training level.

"Knock, Knock." Joline half sang, as her fingers rasped against his door. "Commander, I have breakfast."

There was no reply, just the echoes of troopers walking down the halls, as Joline patiently waited for some reply. It didn't take much longer before the door opened with a quiet whoosh. Kylo Ren hummed, seeing Joey holding a mall plate and a large smile, he hadn't expected her to be there when the door opened. Others wouldn't have stayed long enough for him to make it to the door, no instead the last chef would have the tray sitting neatly on a droid. This girl, such an innocent thing, is braver -or stupider- than any other being on the ship. Kylo Ren grunted, watching as Joey's hips swayed from side to side, waiting on him to say anything.

"Good morning," she breathed, side stepping into his personal quarters. "I know we started off on the wrong foot, but I do want to apologize for any awkwardness I put you in yesterday, sometimes I get over zealous when I meet new people."

Her fingers lightly placed the plate onto his counter space in the kitchen, taking in the stainless-steel manifestation of the small room. Despite Joey's attempting to not judge, his room looked more like a prison than a place of rest. She cringed, almost instantly feeling bad for that line of thought, who was she to think such a thing, after all, all people had differences in options. That's one of the reasons why she couldn't get herself to fully hate the resistance, who knows how the universe would differ under their power. She looked to Kylo Ren after a long moment of waiting for a reply.

He stood quietly beside the door, looking at her blankly, as if waiting for something. Joline hummed, more apologies bubbling from her lips, as she stepped closer to his statuesque stature. Her mild ramblings danced with uncertainty, as her arms gestured around. If he were being honest, Kylo Ren wasn't listening to a word she was saying, instead he was anxious for her to leave. She interrupted his conversation with his grandfather's mask… if one could really call it that.

"So, what do you say we start over?"

Kylo Ren glanced to her fingers, the tips barely inches away from his waist. His large fingers wrapped around hers, giving them a light shake, before jolting her small frame back towards the door. His eyes betrayed nothing, maintaining a steely stare, as the doors slid opened from behind her. There were many questions both he and the crew had about her but having her in his space… in his inner sanctum was unacceptable. Jarring almost.

"Do not come in my room, without my permission, again." His deep gravelly voice echoed.

"Oh, sorry…" Joey chuckled, moments before his door slid shut. "That…. Went…. Well?"

She murmured to herself, both eyes dancing around the halls. Whispers of Kylo Ren's temper danced through the streets of Old Republic City, striking fear through enemy and ally's alike. Joline hummed, unsure if he'd made the situation better or worse, but she didn't have the time to focus on that, with two officers fed, her fingers pulled out the data-pad to find Armitage's office. There was no doubt that, that's where he would be, both according to his work ethic and the panels. With both a purpose and direction, Joey skipped through the halls, happy to see her friend again.

The bridge sang with a chorus of voices, people rushed from one part to another, as others shouted out answers. She'd never understood the organized chaos of it all, sure the kitchen was similar in ways, but it was her chaos. Moments passed, before another body rushed into hers, and accident they both found themselves profusely apologize for. She was in the way, intruding on the flow of things, and she knew it.

"Good morning," Joey breathed, once the doors opened. "I brought breakfast."

"How Is your morning?" Armitage hummed, his eyes never once leaving the data pads in his fingers. "I hope you weren't too terribly late this morning."

"Only by a few minutes…." She replied, sinking into one of the chairs in front of his desk.

"I'll try not to keep you up as late tonight."

Joline sighed, feeling as if she were talking to his data pad, rather than her best friend. His father had often commented on how unprofessional that is, many times to both children years ago. Only now, she understood why it bothered him so much.

"Am I bothering you?" She breathed, after a long moment.

"N-no, not at all. Why would you think that?"

For the first time since she walked in, Armitage glanced up from his pad, worried that he had hurt her feelings in some way.

"I was just reminded of one of your fathers long winded lectures, about professional and unprofessional conversation etiquette." Joey sighed, sinking into the slightly stiff chair.

"Your doctor is Tron Gran, he's one of the best in the fleet." Armitage replied, sending his companion an annoyed glower. "It's very important that you go get assessed by him at some point today."

"Do I have to?" she grimaced.

"Joey, it's important."

"But- "

"But nothing young lady, you will go to the doctor at some point today."

Her bottom lip stuck out as a grumpy mask shaded her face at his fatherly tone. Armitage knew this face well, she'd given it to him many times throughout their teens years. Unlike now, Joey had been reckless as a teen, letting her immortality mentality guide her at times. It was, and still is, up to him to be the voice of reason. Now even more so.

"Please, Jo-Jo." He purred, voice softening, as he called her the most intimate of pet names.

The face always came first, the childish pout that nearly broke him every time. Next, she would show her stubborn temperament, something he'd hoped to avoid by calling her Jo-Jo. Then, after a short argument, she'd came to his commands.

"I don't liken needles." She retorted, redirecting her eyes to the window. "But I'll do it for you."

"No arguing?" Armitage hummed, eyeing her suspiciously. "Who are you, and what did you do to my preciously stubborn Joline?"

A huffed chuckle left the dark-haired woman, her eye rolling in an overly exaggerated manner. "I'm not just your Joline, not here," she responded halfheartedly. "Now, I'm your employee, and I'll never argue with you while on the ship…. Almost never." She amended, like he very well knew she would.

"Ah, this is professional Joline." He smiled, "I haven't met you yet, but I'm looking forward to getting to know you."

"Shut it," Another eye roll. "It's still me, I just won't argue as much." She paused momentarily. "I should let you get to work…"

"I have time."

"Nope," she popped the 'p', as she stood. "Eat, and we'll catch up, when catch up."

"Have a good day."

"Don't work yourself to death, I'm not sure if I want to work under Mr. Ren." She grunted.

Unlike previous meals, Joey didn't grace her commanders, instead opting to help her fellow chefs with their lunch rush. The three spend much of their prep time laughing as they worked, talking about accidents each survived in the kitchen. There's a reason why kitchens are the most dangerous room of any home, and having it be one's work place increased the chances of injury greatly.

"Hey Joey," Viloli hummed, wiping the sweat from her brow using her elbow. "Tomorrow the chefs were going to the bar in the recreational end of the ship, and you're more than invited to come with u-."

"We do it once a week to let off steam." Tremarc said, butting in on the Mandalorian. "You know, if you aren't up for it… since you're new and all."

"I'll think on it," Joey smiled. "Thanks for the invite."

"The doctor says you never showed up today." Armitage hummed, as Joey set his dish in front of him.

"Shoot! I knew I forgot something… sorry."

Hux sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose, half suspecting she conveniently avoided going to the doctor. She'd never been a fan of needles, and that's all doctors were. The First Order required tests, before allowing new personnel on Star Destroyers, it helped detection of force sensitives and potential enemies. He could technically be fired for letting it slide.

"It's ok, go now." He sighed, looking her in the eyes, with THE look.

"Will do."

"Joline, I mean it." Hux grumbled, dragging his fingers through his scarlet hair.

"I'm going now General."

Joey hummed happily, as she passed through the busy halls. Much of the staff danced around, going to their stations, as the others went to get the last of dinner before bed. Before heading to the medical level, Joey wanted to let the others know what's going on. Thankfully she'd done a lot of her cleaning between dishes, making her disappearance a lot less inconvenient. The others danced around the kitchen, working on getting the kitchen perfect for the night shift.

"Hey guys, I need to head go to the doctor…"

"Go ahead," Viloli smiled, sending her female companion a wink.

"Thanks, I'll be here bright and early tomorrow."

Joline sighed, the heaviness of her nerves pulsing underneath her skin. Doctors meant needles, and needles had terrified her since she was young… A cool breeze trickled over her shoulders, drawing her from her line of thought before too much damage could be done. By force she couldn't wait to receive first order blacks. For now, she pulled her data pad and followed the directions to the medical wing.

"Good evening Joline," A rather listless sigh left the tall Falleen male. "I'm Doctor Tron Gran, and I'll be your assigned physician. Per protocol, I need to give you a full examination, you need a few shots, and such…" he purred, a small smile tugging at his lips. "We are going to get to know each other fairly well."

Joey blushed, at his insinuation, "Uh… well, everyone calls me Joey."

"Well Joey, we're going to start off with baby steps." He responded, pulling out a number of sleek silver objects. "First we need your weight and height done."

"I… uh…. Has Arm-"Joey intruded on her own thoughts, remember that she was working for Hux, not his house mate. "General Hux told you of my-"

"Aversion to needles? Yes, you don't have to worry about that right now. First weight and height."

Many points through the beginning of the inspection, Joey knew that Doctor Tron Gran was taking baby steps by the tired sigh leaving his lips. He grunted pulling out a data pad, filling out the new bits of information. As his fingers poked and prodded at her glands and features, he'd ask her very intimate questions. What planets have you lived on? Any allergies? All of which, she answered without batting an eye. Sooner or later would come the one question she always hesitated with.

"Okay, how many sexual partners have you had?" he hummed, just as she wondered when the question would come.

"N-none."

He cocked a hairless brow at her, as if asking her to tell the truth. It's not that she seemed like the type who would spread her legs to any male whom walked by, but she was a young woman in her mid-twenties. There had to be a lover or something during those years... right? Wrong, she grew up with Armitage -who took it upon himself to protect all aspects of her- and then there was working for a Galaxy famous chef after. No time, and no privacy did not make having sex easy.

"According to your paperwork, you were not outfitting with First Order birth control." He breathed, moving on in the questionnaire. "It's standard issue, and I'll start you up right away."

"O-okay."

Moments later, a tall blonde walked into the small room, a tray in hand. Joline was very familiar with the sterile object sitting in it, as for the eight vials of multicolored liquids not so much. Gren smiled weakly, pulling the silver needle gun from the tray. He wanted to take the blood samples first, after all, most people had the easiest time with that. All the patient was expected to do is look away, while the small vacuumed needle drew enough blood to do all the necessary tests, but needles in general sent Joey into a panic -according to the general- so for now the shots were most important.

"We'll start with the birth control, then do the rest of the shots." He breathed, placing a small black object into the shoot of the gun. "That way, you'll have the most painful over with."

Fear flashed through her eyes, seeing the long needle glint in the artificial light. Now armed with the knowledge, of the birth control being the most painful, Joey slid farther away. It made sense though, being that instead of liquid being injected it's a small medical device. One shot, once every three years didn't seem too bad for baby prevention, or at least that's how she rationalized it. Gren hummed, as he put the device together, giving Joey more than enough time to calm the ramping anxiety.

"Ready?" he asked, once the small metal object was in place.

"As ready as I'll ever be."

"Let's try laying you down," he sighed, seeing the gentle shivers in her demeanor.

Joline's breath shallowed, feeling the medical bed at her back, her eyes closed tightly waiting for the needle. Gren chuckled, his fingers lightly massaging her tense muscles, until he could feel them relax. The needle sank quickly into her skin, with no notice by the patient. The doctor hummed, making sure the six barrels were filled, before pulling the trigger. Simultaneously, the liquids empty, giving Gren time to exchange three of the empty vial as the small metal object slowly passed the narrow needle.

"There you go," he hummed, pulling the needle out of her arm. "If anyone is to ask, you've been cleared medically, and have been outfitted with all of the necessary vaccines."

"Oh, I barely felt anything." Joey gasped, her fingers poking at the bright red prick hole. "Owie."

"I suggest not touching it until the scab heals." Gren grunted, thrumming his fingers against his knee. "Mainly, since the birth control can shift out of place. That would cause some issues."

"Good to know. Thank you."

"If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to shoot me a message. I normally answer within an hour or so." He hummed, as his fingers took apart the medical gun.

"Thanks again, have a great night."

"You as well, Ms. Joline."

The halls echoed with the distant steps of stormtroopers, as she made her way back to her room. Days had to be boring, doing nothing but rotations and training, only having a designation and no name. Joey silently thanked the heavens she'd been rejected all those times. Her fingers played with the cloth bandage, as she floated to her floor, there was much she hadn't thought about when she accepted Armitage's invitation, and in these quiet moment silent trepidations bubbled from the dark recesses of her mind.

She half expected Armitage to be sitting on her couch, waiting to see how her day was when she walked in. Nothing. Her apartment was just the way she'd left it that morning, only a small light above her couch on, and a pair of blacks neatly folded onto the coffee table. Joey hummed seeing the clothes she'd heard so much about. No matter the weather, no matter the battle, uniform blacks keep our soldiers in perfect health, words from the radio commercials played in her mind as she held them up. Small beads of light echoed through the knitted fabric, as her fingers stretched and scrunched it. From the looks of the uniform, they were made for a muscular male, allowing some doubts in the once size fits all promise she'd heard years ago.

"They shrink, to become fitted." Armitage's exhausted voice echoed from the front door.

"SH…. It Armitage," a half squeal left her lips, her fingers dropping the fabric to the ground and holding her rapidly beating heart. "You scared me!"

The corners of his lips pulled back ever so slightly, instantly missing the absurdly large home his father's family lived in. Not for the people, nor the surroundings, but for the safety of the servant's hall where he met Joey.

"You shouldn't be so jumpy missy."

General Hux splayed his fingers out, asking permission to enter her home -rather if he could come farther into her home. Answered by a node, the slowly walked in, allowing the door to hum shut. Eventually he knew the small apartment would morph more into her style, pops of color to warm the area, but for now it still looked sterile, distant from its owner. The dark couch welcomed his tired body, his body falling into the soft cushion with a quiet grunt.

"Tell me about yourself."

Almost instantly her shoulder tucked itself into his body, her face resting onto his shoulder and legs tangling with his. His musk going deeply into her lungs with each breath, and the light weight of his chin against resting on her forehead, calming her into lethargy. Both sets of eyes closing, just enjoying their moment of silence. Rediscovering each other, through the familiar touch.

"What do you want to know?" She finally asked, her lip brushing against the lapel of his jacket.

"Tell me about living alone?"

Bursts of air rushed across his neck, with the sounds of her chuckle. Neither was alone often as children, having either a maid with them or the watchful stares of his father and his wife. Her words came slowly, describing what her studio apartment looked like, and how her neighbor had many one-night stands. Floods of words danced between the two, occasionally intruded upon by a chuckle. Until nothing, both having fallen asleep mid conversation, in the same uncomfortable position as the night before.


	3. Chapter 3: Warmth

Announcements: I have come back from the dead! I have a few announcements so please be patient with me. First, I wanted to explain why it's taken me about six months to post (Feel free to skip this one). It's a series of things really, this year my class was far tougher than last years so most of my time went there. I also got engaged to my boyfriend of six years! Yay us. Also, I've been seriously working on my own book too.

Next in line, this is a General Hux heavy chapter. Yes, I know, the past three chapters have been General Hux heavy chapters…. When is Kylo Ren going to have his chapter, you ask? Chapter 3.5 will have a bit of him, and Chapter 4 is where the fanfiction will start focusing on him. I just thought seeing the General's interactions with Joline was important. Especially when it comes to later parts of the Fanfic.

Last, As read in the previous announcement, this chapter is ridiculously long, and took a while to write. I am split it into two chapters. Chapter 3: Warmth is what you're reading now, Chapter 3.5 (Working on the title) will hopefully be up this time next week. Fingers crossed.

* * *

Chapter 3: Warmth

* * *

The alarm woke her up, screaming for her attention and effectively tearing her from her pleasant dreams. During her first week on the job, Joey had managed to develop a regimen. Wake up at 0300, shower, dress in both uniform blacks and the basic First Order chef's uniform, before making her own breakfast. Whereas the other chefs would be eating at the same time in the kitchen, she preferred to take the five minutes time to herself.

From there she'd go to the kitchen to do her job, before delivering the food to the Officer's quarters. She'd learned rather quickly that feeding the officers meant also being a delivery person, since the General and Commander didn't get along at all and preferred not being around one another. Often, she found herself chasing after Commander Ren to hand off his food.

"Good morning, General." Joline hummed, rounding the corner to the shoot.

After two days of general aches and pains, both Armitage and Joey stopped having their midnight conversations. Instead the two stole moments during the day to whisper their familiarities, actions which quickly sparked more rumors of a love affairs through the ships staff.

"Joey," he nodded, eyeing her uniform critically. "You have wrinkles on your left sleeve, very sloppy of you."

"I do it just to bother you." She chuckled lightheartedly.

"Of course, you do," he breathed, massaging his temples. "How did you sleep?"

"Well, thanks again for the blacks." Her fingers played with the ends of her sleeves. "I have no idea how people get accustomed to such cold."

"It's just adapting to your surroundings, we all had to adapt to it. You will too," he hummed, rolling his eyes at her nervousness. "Is everything alright?"

"Yes…No… The other chefs invited me to go drinking with them again."

"I think that's a good idea." Hux nodded, glancing over to her. "It'll give you chance to make new friends."

"I wasn't asking your permission… sir." She chuckled. "Unless all of your staff ask about such things."

"You aren't just any staffer," he breathed lowly, as if someone would magically hear their conversation.

The shoot quaked, before screeching to a stop in-between levels, launching both Joline and Armitage to the ground. With the breath knocked from her, Joey rolled to her back wondering what on earth happened just now. The ships shoots were designed for no jolts, no errors, nothing that could harm those riding inside, but she definitely felt twinges of her hard landing.

"J-Joey, are you alright?" Armitage gasped, pulling her into his arms.

Joey took full note of how his hair tossed into a red mess around his face, as his fingers pulled her back to look her in the eyes.

"Joey," he half shouted, worried that she'd yet to answer him.

"I'm fine," she responded reflexively, ignoring the small trickle of blood just in her hairline. "I'm fine… what happened?"

"I don't know… but I'll find out." Armitage growled.

With his fear of severe injury to Joline sated, General Hux's anger and annoyance quickly showed. Nothing felt particularly broken, but she surely felt nauseated. If the General was hurt, he didn't show it, instead already climbing onto his feet, and assessing their situation. Years of being in charge during battle showed, his face a serene mask as he pulled at one specific panel near the door. Different colored wires pulsed out, once the door was opened, and without hesitation, Armitage pushed them aside. He was searching for a sleek silver lever, a backup plan formed by the ship's engineers.

"Joey, I need you to come here." He purred quietly, carefully drawing his hand from the wires.

"Okay, what can I do?"

"There's a small lever behind these wires." The General sighed, pointing between the lilac and crimson wires. "My hand is too big to pull it all the way back, so I need you to do so, while I try and force the doors open. Do you think you can do that?"

"Of course."

Joey sighed nervously as her fingers pulled at the dark First Order gloves, making sure to avoid Armitage's eyes. He'd know the instant their eyes met, that she was terrified about the situation, about what could be the cause of the malfunction, and she didn't want that. She didn't want to add to the stresses they were in at the moment, he needed a strong soldier right now, not a frightened chef. Almost instantly the general could see the unsteadiness in her demeanor. His fingers laced into the dark tresses on either side of her face, before drawing her attention to him.

"We'll be ok," he hummed quietly, impulse begging him to kiss her pouty lips, the moment he saw her unshed tears.

In the bright light of the shoot, Armitage noticed something rather alarming, one of Joline's pupils was wider than the other. The general sighed, knowing the signs of a major head injury, they would need to get out of here and get Joey to the infirmary sooner rather than later. His heavy fingers pulled her forehead to his lips, before he murmured reassurances into her hairline. The stickiness of her blood transfer, painting a gory landscape across his strong jawline when they parted.

"What are your orders?"

It was a test, one to see the extent of her injuries.

"Pull the lever." Joey snorted.

"Good, let's get started."

Armitage watched her for the briefest moment, taking in the mild tremors, before going to work. A metallic clank echoed moments later, allowing his fingers to pull the sliding doors open with little to no struggle. All but two feet of the shoot was blocked by the sleek metal between each level, leaving the bottom open. Both sighed, glad to have a way out, and the safest way too.

"Ok, you'll drop down first." He breathed, thinking purely of the possible damage she'd sustained.

"You're kidding right," Joey hummed, giving the general a dubious glance. "The General is the most important personnel on a ship, if we are under attack, you will be needed… and I'm just a chef."

He wanted to argue, tell her she was more than just the chef, but at the end of the day she was correct. At the end of the day, they both work for the First Order, which is indeed a military, and she was just the chef in their eyes. Armitage's mouth dried, not wanting to leave her, especially knowing she had such a bad injury.

"You're right, I'll drop down, and you follow immediately afterwards." He hummed, taking off the bulky First Order jacket. "I'll catch you."

With a nod, general Hux tossed his jacket to the ground, before sliding his legs through. He needed to work quickly, not knowing how soon the shoot would start back up and wanting to avoid being cut in half. Troopers in the distance could be heard, as he lowered himself to the smooth ground, all the while watching Joey's eye for any change in condition. Having a purpose could hid many things in moments like these, who knew if she would pass out the moment his feet touched the ground. All the possibilities haunted him when he finally did land on the ground with a soft thump.

"Your turn Joey." Armitage hummed, barely able to see through the lip. "Joey?!"

Moment's passed with no response, triggering the generals panic. Her name came out louder, more alarmed, than he meant it to. Down the hall the trooper's paused in their steps, wondering what was going on, before they redirected their march. If there was something the matter, they needed to be there to either sound the alarm, or to handle the situation.

"I'm okay." He heard, after a long moment, her voice sounding tired. "I just nodded off for a moment." She purred, both legs leaving the shoot.

"You can sleep when we get you to the doctor."

"Sir, do you need assistance." A deep voice echoed, drawing the red heads attention.

"Yes, I need one of you to take Ms. Joline to the infirmary. She's suffered a head injury." Armitage murmured, his fingers holding tightly onto her waist. "I will need another to get a technician, to investigate why this shoot has stopped working. For now, we are going to be on alert, no ships on or off until we know what we are dealing with."

Without further orders, many of the officers scurried off, some to get a technician and the others to tell Phasma what has happened. FN-2187, though neither Armitage nor Joline knew at the time, stepped forward both arms reaching out for her now unconscious body. The General grunted, lifting his friend like a bride, absolutely refusing to allow the Stormtrooper to touch her.

"I have to go to the bridge." Armitage hummed, burying his nose into her now loose hair. "You take care of her."

FN-2187 nodded, catching the threat the General didn't bother to hide. Joline's weight added to the heavy armor caused the trooper to sway a moment, his arms tired from having a long shift. The General eyed the Stormtrooper, taking in the slight exhaustion, before turning and walking to the control center of the ship. A nagging feeling tugged at the red head as he pushed forward, there was little time to be protective of one crew member, when all of them could be in danger.

"Let's go." FN-2187 breathed, shifting her body.

Her long dark hair splayed over his armor, dancing in the air with every quick step he took. Those making their way to work parted, watching as FN-2187 rushed through the winding halls with Joline wrapped protectively in his arms. Confused whispers erupted, many wondering if they were under attack, while others assumed, she had an accident. Tired and out of breath FN-2187 burst through the infirmary doors, which in turn triggered a panic.

"What happened?"

A blonde nurse questioned, her cool blue eyes locking onto the blood smears onto the white armor. Before he could say any form of explanation, the nurse called for an emergency team. Her fingers pulling one of the floating stretchers to him. The trooper lightly placed Joline onto the sleek metal object, just as a flurry of doctors approached to assess the situation.

"What happened?" The same nurse breathed, this time her words sparked with more urgency.

"Where are they taking her?"

The nurse pushed FN-2187 back gently, still waiting on the answer to her question. The flurry of doctors quickly dissipated to another room, taking the young chef with them.

"They are taking her for scans, but we need to know how this happened."

"There was an accident with the shoot." He breathed, redirecting his line of sight to the woman. "The general and Ms. Joline were thrown, I guess. He… the general I mean…. has tasked me to be her guard."

"Well, there's nothing here you need to guard her from," a soft smile touched the woman's features, "but you are welcome to sit in here until she's cleared."

"Thank you."

Armitage grunted, already seeing both Phasma and Kylo Ren standing at the preverbal helm. Along his way to the bridge he'd pulled his hair back into its usual neat position, and for that he was grateful. Staffers on board quickly did their work, communicating throughout the ship, keeping all on board aware of the situation, as well as scanning the surrounding space for anything that pointed at the rebellion. Phasma acknowledge the general, by a quick nod of the head, before approaching the tense male.

"Are you harmed?" Phasma hummed.

The questioned confused Hux, his eyes darting to the masked woman, wondering why on earth she'd ask such a question. His words stopping in his chest when his eyes met the reflective sheen of Phasma's silver suite. Blood stained the general's jawline and bridge of his nose, both places he'd touched Joey's hair with.

"No, the blood is Joline's."

"How is she?"

"She's retained a head injury and is now in the infirmary." Hux retorted, his body moving to kick Kylo Ren from his space.

"A technician just arrived at the shoot's controls."

"Good, keep us informed on what's going on." The general directed, glancing to the tall male at the consol. "Phasma, place Stormtroopers at ever entrance, and I want patrols doubled, until we figure out what happened. Commander Ren…"

The two males turned to each other, familiar sparks of aggression passing between the two.

"See what you can find."

For the first time, it seemed, that General Hux wasn't demanding the knight to do something, instead he sounded like he was firmly requesting. Quiet gasps danced through command, as others processed the change in tone. Could the general be going soft? Or, could the impossible have happened, could the two men be friends now? Maybe not friends, friendlier. Kylo hummed, turning on the heels of his boots, before walking out of the room. His heavy foot falls echoing behind, as if a reminder of his lingering presence.

"She'll be fine, I'm going to set up search parties."

With both Phasma and Kylo Ren gone, the general's shoulders relaxed enough for him to breath normally again. He needed a distraction, one powerful enough to keep his mind away from Joey's injury, and for the first time he prayed that a Rebel was behind this.

* * *

"You're still here?" The nurse from hours earlier hummed, her eyes taking in the tired Stormtrooper.

"How's Ms. Joline doing?"

The nurse smiled softly, normally stormtroopers would drop off the injured and leave, having this one stay and watch over was a nice change. Her fingers glided over the smooth screen. Cool air danced through the infirmary; a gentle reminder of a potential out come to those who come through those doors. Those who came in often wondered why the doctors preferred to work in the cold. Some believe it to be an intimidation factor, others thinking it as homage to death to keep the reaper away, either way FN-2187 didn't like it.

"It looks like she's in recovery, and available for visitation." The nurse paused, smiling at the dark-skinned male. "If you'd like to see her that is."

"No, you should call for the general." FN-2187 breathed, the long hours of being awake starting to claw at his awareness. "I'll be back before my next shift starts."

"I will do, would you like me to let her know you stayed by her side all night?"

It made sense, the assumption the nurse came to that the FN unit and Joey were lovers, being that he'd completed his mission and yet remained. He didn't speak, unsure if his voice would break, instead shaking his head. There wasn't a relationship between the two, they'd only merely crossed paths a couple of times. Hell, Joey probably didn't remember meeting him, which is for the best really. For now, FN-2187's cot was singing his name after a thirty something hour shift and twelve hours of attentively waiting on news.

* * *

The familiar chirp of Hux's office communication system purred through the quiet space, drawing the weary male's attention. Twelve hours after the accident and no word on his friend, robbed him of the capability of sleep. Hours passed, no word, no evidence, and no explanation of what happened left him to question those on the ship. The general rode his men hard, expecting nothing less that perfectness from not only them, but also himself. Could those who work bellow have been behind this atrocious act? Had they failed in their assassination act, or had they merely hoped to warn the man of their displeasure?

Question built up into his mind, keeping the red head in nearly a maddening haze. Until the chirp echoed once again, reminding him somebody was looking for him. Hux grunted threading his fingers through his hair in a poor attempt to straighten the meshed tresses, before answering.

"Good evening General." A female voice echoed through the receiver, as her picture flickered on. "I'm calling to let you know Joline is out of surgery and is in recovery."

"What is her status?'

"We've placed her into a medically induced coma to lesson some of her swelling." She purred, looking off the screen, most likely onto Joey's charts. "The doctors are hoping to take her out of it in a day or two, but we encourage any family or friends to come by and talk to her. Is there anyone else we can call?"

"No, I'll be down in an hour."

Without another word Armitage's picture cut out, leaving the nurse alone in the reception area. He looked disheveled, tresses of hair sticking out wildly, large bags under his eyes, and slight wrinkles in his normally impeccable uniform. The nurse sighed for what seemed like the hundredth time, before checking up on their newest patient. It is a rare occurrence for a patient to be in the infirmary for more than a couple of hours. Having the dark-haired woman bandaged and sleeping is easily something which immediately caught the attention of other doctors.

Not an hour later did the tousled general barrel into the waiting room, his fingers death gripping a Hssiss stuffed animal. The lightest of smiles touched the nurse's lips, as she took in the faded green of the stuffed animal, and the area's where new stuffing had been placed in with tighter stitched seams. This obviously wasn't a new toy, instead maybe something that was previously his which he was giving her as a take care gift, or something she's had for a while perhaps, either way it sang volumes of the general. His fingers quickly smoothed out the wrinkles, he only now noticed, in his uniform before meeting the young woman's gaze.

"Her room is through the glass doors and the fifth to the right." She murmured, gracing him from the embarrassment of speaking. "I'll be in, in a few minutes to check on her vitals."

He nodded, the tightness in his jaw not allowing to him speak, nor the lump in his throat. Even with the medical advances they've made, being placed in a coma -weather on purpose or on accident- is still risky business. Those long moments in the shoot could be the last that he had with a conscious Joline. Through his hazed thoughts, Armitage made his way through the sliding glass doors and stopped in front of her doors. The room glowed from the pale blue lights of Joey's monitor. Haloed in the light lay his best friend, her beautiful eyes closed giving the impression of just a slumber.

"It's nice that you brought a stuffed animal for her." The nurse breathed, hoping to not spook the general.

"I trust my presence here, as well as anything else about Joey will not leave the infirmary."

Armitage's mild threat silenced any thoughts of those around, drawing the surrounding staff's attention. It wasn't a secret that General Armitage Hux didn't like his personal life mixing with his professional life, and on the rare occasion that it did he made more subtle intimidations. unaffected by his threats the blonde nurse smiled brightly, his actions telling her more than needed.

"Of course, sir. My name is Brooken, and I'll be Ms. Joline's personal nurse. Please come in, we encourage our families to speak with the sleeping individual to help promote neurological stimulation." Her neatly manicure nails splayed as she pushed to doors open. "Please don't mind my presence, I'm just going to be a few moments."

Quiet music danced through the room as the nurse approached the screen behind the large hospital bed. Joline looked so small, laying in the very center of the cream sheets, her dark hair neatly braided and resting against her shoulder. Peaceful. Armitage found himself sitting at the edge of the bed, his large hands enveloping both her right cheek and left palm. Bandaging covered her hairline, though no blood stained the stark white gauze, something he was grateful for. They'd cleaned her up nicely, strenuously removing any speckles of blood on her features, and making sure she looked presentable for anyone visiting her.

"Joey, my poor Joey." Armitage found himself whispering, as his lips pressed against her ear.

"I'm so sorry for this."

Brooken paused, her eyes dancing to Armitage. No one would believe her if she'd told them what she was witnessing, not that she wanted to anyways. Her job means many things, the most important one being the person to help others through their worst day ever. Having a loved one in the hospital at any time is the worst day ever, and it is her job to help navigate through the emotion of it all. She allowed another moment, watching as Hux muttered his apologies into Joey's numbed ears, before placing a gentle hand onto his shoulder.

"I'll be outside if you need anything."

Offering a somber smile before she left, Brooken couldn't help but feel honored to see the general at such a weakness. Armitage's fingers lightly traced Joey's features, gliding down her bruised cheek and following the curve of her cupids bow lips. He shouldn't be here watching his friend sleep, no instead he should be perusing every possibility to her injury. Only, he selfishly needed to be at her side, begging her to come back to him. There's so much she didn't know, things he'd pushed aside foolishly thinking there was enough time, so many things he wanted to enjoy with her.

Now alone, and windowed walls frosted, Armitage shrugged his black First Order jacket from his shoulders and toed his boots off, before sliding into the bed. His arms curling Joey's body around his, as though they were children sneaking into each other's rooms to talk again. Only this time neither had to worry about his father walking in. He swallowed hard, the memories of their home lives flooding these sterile walls. Growing up with Brendol Hux as their father figure wasn't what everyone though, he hated his illegitimate son with a passion, and hated that his adopted daughter loved the boy so much more.

"Remember the time we snuck out of the house to watch the First Order parade?" Hux purred, his voice cracking in tearful chuckles. "We'd spent the whole day eating and playing any games we came across. You wouldn't let me stop playing the damn ring toss until I won you this stupid Hssiss doll. I still have no idea why you NEEDED it, nor will I ever understand why you find it so adorable…. But I brought Mr. Cobalt Hux to keep you company when I cannot."

The soft music again occupied the room, Armitage now nestling his nose into her bandaged hairline. His fingers drawing Joey flush against his side, as though she'd fallen asleep on his chest again. Tears slipped from his tired eyes, absorbing into her dressings, as guilt sank heavily into his heart. If he hadn't called on her, Joline wouldn't have been here and she wouldn't have been injured, it was his selfishness which placed her in this bed.

"I promise you; I'll kill whoever did this."

Quiet whispers trickled across from Joline's room, the staff now wondering if they should intrude on the General. It's been eight hours since he first entered the room, but now her doctors wanted to start the wake-up process. The most recent scans told them the swell has gone down to nearly normal size.

"Goodnight Brook." Doctor Tron murmured, watching as the nurse pack up her bags.

"Good morning Dr. Tron," she chuckled lightly. "Call me when Ms. Joline wakes up."

"About that," The emergency room doctor hummed, glancing at Brooken. "We wanted to start the wake-up process now, that way she'll be fully functional when you come around…"

"But after last night you don't want to intrude on the general." The small crowd nodded, small grunts resounding their agreement. "I'll pop in to talk with him."

Her bag dropped with an inaudible thud just outside the door, the doctors watching as Brook fearlessly strolled in. The smile she reserved for her patients widened, at the sight of the general and Joline cuddling so sweetly. It made all the rumors seem plausible, seeing the two embraces in such a way. Lovers, friends, siblings either way seeing the two in such a way solidified it.

"General," she purred, fingers lightly shaking the commanding officer shoulder. "General Hux."

The general jumped, at the light touch, not expecting to have fallen asleep. Low questions grunted from his lips, his mind desperately trying to figure out what is happening. He'd fallen asleep about three or four hours earlier, his fingers still clutching Joey's shoulder. Brooken's smiling face glowed in the pale light, as she waited patiently for the general to come to full consciousness.

"Good morning general, it's 0800 hours, and the doctors were hoping to start the wake-up process."

"Give me a few moments," He breathed, tossing the sheets from his body, though taking great care to keep Joey tucked in.

"Will do, there's a shower in the far corner."

"No, just let me shift to the chair, you can tell them to come in."

Hux's finger wiped away any signs of sleep, before smoothing out any wrinkles in his suite. Naturally it didn't work, the material made it hard to de-wrinkle, but his efforts made it look better. Brook brought his chair nearly against the bed, but still where the doctors could work if anything were to happen.

"What can I expect from the waking up process?"

"The doctors will administer Resipiscoanerin, which is the agent that slowly wakes her. From there it should take anywhere from an hour to four hours before she wakes up. During that time, they will probably monitor her vitals more closely."

"Thank you."

Wordlessly Brook walked from the room, her eyes meeting with the horde of doctors for a long moment, before she nodded a confirmation that they could do their job. Nurses are an amazing thing for many reasons, one being their ability to accomplish anything. The doctors rushed into the room in the hopes of catching the general in a good mood.

* * *

Joline's brows knitted together as the low pangs of a headache rippled from one temple to the other. The quiet beeping of her monitor, as muffled as it sounded, slowly called for her wake up. Somewhere in the background were voices, a set of three muffled voices, only one being somewhat familiar to her. Joey groaned, not wanting to open her eyes just yet. Her head now aching with every sound she heard.

"A-Armitage?" she whispered weakly.

"Sh, sh," Armitage rushed forward, holding the sound of the second sh. "You're ok, there was an accident and you were injured."

"What happened?"

Joey's voice cracked, as her bright eyes fluttered open. Formless blobs danced in her vision, the voices of doctors and Armitage coming from each shape. Slowly the blobs took shape, and with that the dulled colors appeared, though with a blue haze. This wasn't the medical center she'd been introduced to when she first joined the First Order staffing. No, this place must be the hospital wing.

"The shoot we were on malfunctioned, you sustained a head injury." Armitage explained calmly,

The doctors hummed, watching awkwardly as the general's fingers laced into the girls. Having her awake and forming questions is a wing for everyone involved, but now they had to do a series of tests, as well as keep her for observation. For now, though, they would leave Joey to rest, and perhaps giving them their privacy.

"I need to check a few things, after we'll leave the two of you be." Doctor Tron Gren smiled weakly, his fingers gripping the pen light in his breast pocket.

He waited. Waited for the general to give him permission to examine Joline, by moving aside, something that took a few moments. The other doctors sat quietly in the background, they too waiting. Only they were waiting for the fiery tempers General Armitage Hux is known for. It never came though. General Hux simply glared at the intrusion, but stepped aside, as if Joline's welfare came before his own selfishness. This discovery astounded the doctors.

"Thank you."

Doctor Tron's fingers poked and prodded at her, drawing the steady attention of the general. The Falleen nodded slightly as Joline responded well to most of the testing. His face remained neutral as he worked, his finds not perfect but good enough to not worry too much.

"You'll remain under observation for a few days, you have some blow out to your pupil remaining. You also have significant weakness to your right half of the body." The good doctor finally retorted, his fingers neatly clicking the light off and place it into his pocket. "It sounds bad, but this is typical for the amount of damage you sustained." His beak like mouth widened into what was supposed to be a reassuring smile. "Now, can you tell me where you are?"

"The medical wing?" Joey hummed, her face grimacing momentarily. "I suppose in the emergency wing."

"Good, do you remember my name?"

"Doctor Tron."

"Why did I see you a few weeks ago?"

"The First Order wanted to make sure I didn't kill off the staff with any diseases. Oh, and birth control injections."

"Very good."

A soft chuckle danced through the male, despite his greatest efforts to maintain his sterile façade. Her description of their meeting, though crude, was rather amusing and on point. Tron glanced over his shoulder, watching as his companions whispered to themselves in the corner of the room. He didn't make a habit of having others watch his work, weather to train the students or not, his patience deserved as much privacy as possible.

"Do any of you have something to ask?" He purred, "I'm sure Ms. Joline would like all the information now."

"N-no, we wanted to watch the first examination, then we'd look to the data collected during this time." Doctor Fre Loss, the Nautolan neurologist, purred sweetly.

"Then maybe it would be best if you left." Doctor Tron waited till the others left before continuing his testing. "We're almost done, can you tell me how much you remember about the accident?"

"I…We were on the shoot… a-and then I was here." Joey winced, knowing there were a few hours missing.

"Ok, well good news is, your long-term memory is perfect." Tron Gren nodded, his piercing black eyes locking onto Joline's brown orbs. "However, you have a bit of short-term loss, which is common. Here's what's going to happen, you are going to stay here for observation until we are sure you'll be fine. It'll be a couple of days at most, during that time we suggest only one visitor at a time, because the goal is to rest." The doctor hummed, momentarily glancing towards the captain. "During your stay I'll have Brooken as your personal nurse, she'll be the one taking your vitals and making sure you maintain and get better. I'll visit once a day to do and overall checkup. Do you have any questions?"

"How will this brain injury affect her later?" Armitage blurted, glad to have his questions answered.

"Well, a brain injury like this can present in different ways later in life." Tron half smiled, not excited with this bit of information he'll be gifting them. "The best case she'll be back to her normal self. Worse case can be a series of things, death is obviously one possibility, others can be that she develops epilepsy, Alzheimer's, or perhaps Parkinson's disease. With treatment, we can manage all three if not cure it." The doctor reassured Joey though still spoke directly to the general. "Now, those are the reasons we are going to keep you for a few days and conduct a few experiments. Unfortunately, anything having to do with your brain is potentially affected. So, your basic body functions will be carefully watched. We'll be monitoring your eating, sleeping, as well as your emotions, thoughts, and your ability to communicate, since all of those can be disrupted."

"How are you going to watch my emotions and thoughts?" Joey practically whispered.

"That will be, Doctor Dalmev Puho and Fre Loss's job. Doctor Puho was the Selonian who was in here earlier, and Doctor Loss is the Nautolan. You'll have a team of doctors working with you, but we'll try not to disturb you too often. Doctor Fre Loss is your Neurologist, Doctor Dalmev Puho is the Psychologist, I'm your Physician, there are a few others, but we'll be the ones who work with you the most."

"What are some things we should be looking for, when she's allowed home?"

"Mostly seizures, sometimes sings of strokes…. I'll send you some information that may help. Joey should rest up a bit, I've thrown far too much information your way, if at any time you have any questions at all, you can message me."

"Thank you, Doctor Tron."


	4. Chapter 3 pt 2: Distress

Chapter 3.5: Distress

* * *

Sounds of what is happening around, echoed into Joline's dreams. Rustling from the sheets moving, most likely Armitage slipping away to do work, seeping into her dreams in the form of her walking through the forest. Vital signs turning into the odd noise heard in the middle of the night. Her dream world echoing her surroundings, though in a much more pleasant way, until he appeared in her dreams, the tall, dark, and cranky man she enjoyed chasing down in the mornings.

Kylo Ren hadn't meant to intrude onto the chef's dream world, he simply meant to get out of his without waking up. It would have been the eighteenth night of less than two hours of sleep, and his body refused to pull him from his nightmare stupor yet again. There's no telling what exactly called him to her mind, the light peeking through a lush forest he'd never been to, or perhaps the way her mind sang so sweetly to him. He'll never know what exactly it was, not even years after, but he found himself slowly following her.

Unlike the times he'd run into Joline on the ship, her long tendrils curled into lengthy spirals that danced down her back. She looks like she just escaped an elegant party, donning a deep blue evening dress with a slit along her right leg. He'd heard whispers of her being raised with the general, though like many of the theories going around the ship, Kylo Ren dismissed it. After all, the two were completely opposite, she is at least tolerable.

"What are you doing here?" Joline's voiced, seemed to echo in the clearing, her eyes still glued to the stars.

"You called to me."

The statement caused him to cringe, it implied many things, though it wasn't entirely a lie. Her mind called out for anyone who could hear its cry, almost as if to rescue him from his own suffering. A silly thought, he would admit if the thought came up. Ringing bells, or at least a sound eerily like it, sang through the area. Finally, Joline's bright brown eyes danced towards his figure in the shadows, a joyous smile reflecting through her orbs.

"Come sit with me," Joey breath, her fingers patting the empty space nearest her. "This was my favorite place in the world, growing up."

Relief danced through the knight, when her eyes went back to the sky, he could feel her loving stare deep in his soul. He should have left. He should have gone back to his nightmarish mind, instead of taking that first step forward. There is so much light in her, he knew that the moment she stepped from the general's personal shuttle, and he found it so hard to stay away.

The light, a seductive yet toxic beast, as the Supreme Snoke would say, truly reverberated volumes in this woman. Despite every fiber of his being telling him to leave, Kylo Ren entered the clearing, allowing himself to sit an arm length away from her.

"I promise you; I don't bite." She giggled, scooting much closer. "I don't need to, Armitage does it for me."

A barely-there smile flickers onto his lips at her attempt at a joke. Obviously, both she and the general are close, when that is a joke, she so willingly breaths. Compared to the past few planets they've visited, this forest cool temperature prickled his skin, a wave of gooseflesh rippling across his arms.

"Are the rumors true?" The knight of Ren sighed, taking in the moon kissed area.

Lush greenery danced in the shadows of the large Redwood trees around the clearing, small lightning bugs dancing about almost like magic. Though the star of the show, or as he saw it, are the bright green blades of grass, soft to the touch as It caresses their bodies. Shuffling danced through the silence, as Joline leans into his body, her forehead resting neatly against his shoulders. Suddenly, she looked so frail, her skin now a sun kissed brown instead of its normal deep tan.

"Depends on the rumor." She purred quietly.

"I doubt the two of you are lovers." Kylo Ren muttered, quietly unsure if he should shove her off. "I tend to favor the theory of you living with him."

"Ding…ding…ding." She chuckled weakly. "When my father died, his dad took me in. We've been friends since birth prac-attack-ally."

Kylo hummed, taking in the new bits of information, as he slowly shouldered her away. Gradually the sound of crickets danced through the area, joined by the quiet whirrs of owls. A gentle breeze embracing their skin, with the scent of the coming rain dancing along the breeze. Each stimulus warning Kylo of Joline reaching REM sleep, as her subconscious took the time to paint the picture of one of her favorite places. At least that's what he assumed, after all, most of the dreams he invaded were based on others most cherished sites.

"What is this place?"

"This is where Armitage and I used to escape," Joey sighed, eyes once again redirecting to the sky. "It's just outside of the compound, but far enough where they wouldn't think to find us there."

A long moment of silence sang between the two, both taking in the wonderous night sky. Millions of stars twinkling in the dark sky, some being obstructed by vapor like clouds that blew lazily in the breeze. It's been over six months since Kylo Ren, or anyone on the _Finalizer_ , was planets side, and even longer since he's been able to sit back to stargaze. For this, he wanted to thank Joline for allowing him to invade her mind.

"Do you visit here often?"

"Not as much anymore… being a chef can make it hard to get out and about." She murmured quietly. "But when we were kids, it's where we were most of the time."

"I mean in your dreams." He retorted a smirk evident through his words.

"Oh…." She gasped, a light blush touching her cheeks. "Sometimes, you know when I'm homesick."

Joline's dark brows knitted together, as echoes of another woman's voice echoed through the clearing. This voice didn't sound familiar to either one, though Kylo Ren knew who it was. A nurse in the emergency wing, flashed behind his eyes as he reached just beyond Joey's subconscious to see who intruded on their conversation.

"You should go back," He breathed, standing up once again. "She's brought you something to eat."

"But it took so long for me to fall asleep." Joey groaned, her body falling back into the lush grass. "Five more minutes."

Unlike the other parts of conversation, Joline's voice echoed when she begged for more time to sleep, disrupting the sensory parts of the space. Another blur of words extracted more of their surrounds, slowly taking everything away that made this place real.

"You need to go back; this place will be here when you go back to sleep."

"Fine," Joline sighed, rolling her eyes slightly. "Feel free to stay though…. Unless you can't."

"I could if I wanted to." He murmured quietly. "It's always in the back of your mind, therefore it's always around."

* * *

Pale blue light illuminated the hospital room around, changing the plane silver to different versions of the color, depending on the textures of the objects.

"Good morning Ms. Joline, my name is Brooken, I'll be your personal nurse." The young woman smiled, her hands holding a tray of food.

"M-morning, already?"

"Yes, you really needed the rest, and to be honest I was a bit shocked to hear that you had a hard time falling asleep."

Brooken spoke, as she worked, neatly placing the food in front of Joline, before buzzing about, taking note of each vital on the machine. Honestly, this woman wasn't what Joey was expecting when she woke up, no, instead she expected to see Armitage waiting patiently for her to wake up. It was silly, expecting him to be at her side, after all, he had a whole ship to run and she only a chef. Then there was the fact that she'd dreamt of Kylo Ren, the mysterious man she only just met. No, there were too many conflicting emotions going through her at the moment, and all she wanted to do was sleep.

"I'm not hungry." Joey grumbled.

Much like the child she could be, Joey pushed the tray away, and pouted at it.

"You can't sleep all the time," Brooken chuckled. "Eat some at least, I have to do vitals and at least two of your doctors will be visiting you."

"I thought Doctor Tron Gren, said that rest is important."

"It is, but we also have to watch your stats." Brooken purred, her eyes taking in the woman before her. "Any changes of basic patterns can be worrisome, so we want to keep you as close to normal as possible."

For the first time since meeting Joline, Brooken looked uncertain, almost as if she didn't know how to handle the blatant refusal. Normally those who pass through the front doors allowed her to do anything that need be, forever grateful to have survived whatever atrocity brought by this war. Brooken swallowed hard, trying to remember anything that the general told her about the young lady on the bed. Nothing really coming to mind at how to deal with her refusal, though from the sounds of the general's story -Brooken overheard- with the Hississ stuffed animal, he didn't know how to handle the girl either at times.

"I suppose I could always have the general speak to you." Brooken breathed, not meaning for it to come out. "He's very worried about you."

The glare gifted to Brooken sang of a temper not often seen by others. Perhaps bringing up the general wasn't a great idea, though the small nurse hadn't meant to. Instead of saying anything else, Brooken quickly took down the other woman's vitals, her mind racing about how to fix her slip up. General Hux seemed so affectionate towards the chef, and through what Brooken's heard about Joline, she too is affectionate. So how is it that Brooken has managed to receive the more aggressive side of the girl?

"Do what you want, just don't call Arm…. General Hux." Joline grunted, her fingers angrily pulling the tray back towards her. "I refuse to get shots though!"

"You are all caught up on your shots."

With a begrudged glare Joline shoveled the overcooked breakfast into her mouth. The action, rather ungraceful from a woman born into the upper class, caused Brooken to smile as he continued to work. Had many other seen such a child in Joline? Brooken couldn't help but wonder, as her fingers switched out the I.V.

"I've finished, which of your doctors would you like to see first?" Brooken purred.

"I suppose we should have the Neurologist come in…."

"I'm sensing a but."

Joline shrugged, unsure of what exactly was causing her to hesitate so much. It wasn't like the doctors were complete strangers, at least Tron Gren wasn't, and Joey already knew she could trust both him and his judgment.

"Who do you think should come first?"

"Tron Gren won't be coming until later in the day." Brooken breathed quietly. "I personally would talk to Doctor Dimev Puho first, he may help you feel better about your situation, and prepare you for the next steps."

"I suppose him first."

A tight, almost sterile, smile touched Brooken's features as she pushed through the door. On many occasions she'd seen patience discomfort with the situation they were placed in, and Dalmev's insight always pulled them through. Or at least that's how it seemed, being on the outside.

"Doctor Puho, you're up."

Both Dalmev and Fre spoke quietly on the far reaches of the half circle nurse station, waiting patiently for whomever got to speak to the chef first. The topic of the day, being of the information the cortical scans dredged up from Joline's sleep. Neurologically speaking, things were looking up, the swelling's almost nonexistent, however, there were things they couldn't see in a scan.

"They always want to be comforted first." Fre sighed, her fingers dancing into the air.

"She seems to be levelheaded; I doubt there'll be too much talking going on." Puho hummed, gathering his notebooks.

With a content sigh Puho pushed through the frosted doors, entering the cool blue room, his large eyes taking a moment to adjust to the surroundings. Everything seemed so still in the room, almost picturesque in the calmness. Joline's fingers nervously pushed back the strands of hair long enough to fall over the head dress. Her eyes darting from her food towards the Selonian.

"Good morning." He breathed, a sweet smile touching his lips. "May I sit?"

Her dark hair shuffled lightly, as she nodded. For a moment Puho found himself seeing a child sitting before him, instead of an adult. Despite the look of the couches, and armchairs, at the hospital they were surprisingly comfortable. The tightly knitted threads hugged the curves of its occupant, adjusting to where the person needed it the most. Stiff but comfortable, the thought always slightly shocked the doctor whenever he sat down.

"Are you not hungry?" He probed, taking in the nearly full plate beside the girl.

"It's over cooked, and minimally flavored." Joline countered too naturally. "I'm more tired than hungry."

"Did you not sleep last night?"

"It was hard falling asleep," She began, as her eyes rested on the plate.

Dalmev nodded quietly, his fingers tapping on the screen to awaken the data-pad.

"Were you worried?"

"Hm? Not particularly, I have faith in all of you." She paused, finally pushing the rubbery eggs away from her. "I just don't understand; I had been sleeping a while before…"

"Your mind kept you awake." Doctor Dalmev nodded, typing a series of words onto the pad. "When a patient goes into a coma, their brain goes through a series of busy times and slow movements, this doesn't provide enough rest." He retorted, redirecting his black eyes to his companion. "I'm going to prescribe a low dose sedative for just before bed. Coma's can sometimes mess with a patient's internal clock."

"Doctor Tron also said that there's a concert that my brain injury can cause altered sleeping and eating."

"This is true, however, there are other symptoms that show up as well." Dalmev breathed, his fingers gliding across the screen of the datapad, with the grace only a Selonian could. "Is that something you are worried about?"

"Not really, I have faith in you all."

"You are very calm, even when you woke up." He murmured more towards himself. "This tells me you've grown up in an environment where you've been punished for showing too much emotion. You weren't physically abused; your personality seems too well kept for that. Perhaps, emotionally you were, or someone you're very close to."

His large black eyes flickered towards Joline, his predatory stare searching for any signs of emotion. Her eyes darted away, though a momentary glimmer of emotion sang that Dalmev's assessment was correct. An interesting thought to be sure, and one he'd put into his notes but leave alone for now.

"I dug too deeply." Dalmev retorted sorrowfully, though it sounded far too polished. "I apologize for that."

"I think I'm ready for my neurological assessment. Thank you for your company."

Dalmev nodded, understanding her sudden pull back, he'd seen it in many of his patients before. They had gone too quickly, too fast, and for that he'd have to wait till she was ready again. Fre Loss sighed, as she aimlessly paced from one crudely synthesized landscape resting against the walls. Her green eyes lazily dancing around, not fully taking in the attempts at art, but the movement deterring the boredom long enough. Dalmev held his breath, watching as his cohort's grey flesh glowed in the light. How he loved her silvery complexion and seemingly harsh personality.

"Fre, she has asked for your diligent consideration." Dalmev murmured quietly.

"Thank you."

Fre Loss smirked, the cockiness she always donned plastered in the delicate brow raise and smirk. On any other person he'd diagnose them with a classic case of Narcissism, however, he knew her. Knew that, that is how the woman kept other away. Dalmev's fingers dug into her upper arm, when she tried walking past. There's so much he needed to convey, though very little can be given without impeding on Joline's rights.

"Fre, be careful with her." He retorted, his grip loosening though remaining on the woman upper arm.

"Is there something I should know, Dal?"

The intimate nickname drawing a hesitant smile to his features. He loved that the Nautolan woman would drop her guard when only the two. The way she'd seek him out for private moments, some of which ending in a romantic tryst, when the Psychologist assessed the situation appropriate.

"She's far more delicate that I originally evaluated." He responded in a rushed whisper. "Joline is very good a keeping the appearance of calm, but there's a level of instability hiding."

"I'll be as gentle as I can." Fre hummed, patting her companions' hand gently. "Thank you for the warning."

Upon entering the quiet room, Fre Loss took a moment to turn the lights up by thirty percent, the lights going from the hazy blue, to a silvery yellow. Joline's room slowly climbed to the early morning glow of dawn, giving the bandaged wrapped woman time to adjust. Joey looked exhausted, dark bags starting to form under her eyes, as well as her body's slumped posture.

"Good morning, I'm your neurologist, Doctor Fes Loss." She partially smiled, as she sat comfortably at the foot of the bed. "I have your brain images, and a few solutions. If you are ready for that."

"You're already here." Joline retorted quietly.

"My office is down the way, so I'll always be around."

Not necessarily a lie, however between Joline's room and Fre's office, is a series of winding hallways and rooms. The idea of having to make that trip three more times slightly irked Fre, yet, the patients were her focal point. A thought that meant she had to cater to their capabilities to process information. Joey nodded, taking in the comment, and deciding it best to rip the Band-Aid off.

"Ok, here is a scan of your brain when we first attained you." Fre's fingers slid the scan across the tray attached to the bed. "You had a large amount of swelling, multiple contusions, two rather large hematomas to your left and right frontal lobes, a minor midline shift, and a large laceration and edema on the left side of your scalp." The neurologist hummed, as if her companion should understand the severity of the injury. "With the help of medications, we were able to bring down most of the swelling, get rid of your hematomas and edema. We did have to do surgery, with the permission of the general, on the hematoma, to stop any blood clots and any further bleeding." Fre partially smiled again, sliding another scan. "You still have some swelling, from where you hit your head, and we're keeping an eye on the laceration on your forehead. All of that saying, you'll be home within a day or two, depending on your healing."

"Couldn't you just send me home now?" Joey asked innocently.

"This isn't a broken bone, or mild infection Joey…" The Neurologist purred too naturally. "We are working on the side of precaution… Wouldn't want anything bad to happen to the general's pet, now would we."

"Pet? I'm not sure how that rumor started."

Joline's fingers clutched the Hssiss stuffed animal as her eyes wandered to the sheets.

"No, that's what I call all the girls he distracts himself with." Fre murmured, only half paying attention to the conversation. "I see that Dalmev has prescribed a sedative…. I wished he spoke to me about that, but it seems to work with the number of medications you are taking." The Nautolan cocked her head to the side slightly. "I'll drop by in the morning to do some physical testing, Dalmev has asked me to take things slow with you. Have a good rest of the day."

"I'd prefer to get things over with." The young chef breathed nervously.

"If that's what you want." Fre's fingers pulled a white cylindrical object from her breast pocket. "Follow the flashlight with just your eyes please."

Slowly Fre Loss moved the pen flashlight side to side, up and down, before moving in slightly more complicated patters. Stopping mid passage, to go a different direction, her eyes watching Joline's orbital movement. Once she was satisfied with the data collected, Fre turned the pen so that the light faced Joey.

"Now, look at my ear, there's going to be a bright light."

With that little bit of a warning, a bright light tore through Joline's sight, momentarily blinding her. Fre tsk-ed watching Joey's pupils shrink, before slightly getting big again. They'll have to watch that for now. It could be a delayed response, or it could also be a sign of permanent damage, only time could tell. Another moment passed, before Fre clicked the small light off and placed it back into her pocket.

"Your body seems to be slowly going back to normal. Now, I'm going to need you to squeeze my hand fingers." She breathed, as the index and middle fingers of each hand settled in the air. "Sometime today would be great." Fre hummed, at Joline's hesitation.

Chilled fingers wrapped around the doctor's digits, taking a moment to make sure she didn't hurt the other woman. Fre's brows furrowed, before taking her hands back. Another dull headache danced through Joey's temples, as she shifted farther into the bed. Fre nodded slightly, typing something into her datapad, her normal stoic mask hardening her soft features.

"You still have a little bit of weakness in your right hand." She purred quietly. "Nothing I'd worry too much about at this time, however, it is something I'll have Doctor Tron keep any eye out for."

"Is there anything I can do?"

"Just rest, regain your energy."

The tiniest of smiles touched the doctor's lips, her eyes taking in the lack of an emotional reaction. Even to those not in the medical field, the idea of weakness in one's extremities is never welcomed with neutrality. Perhaps Dalmev had a point to this girl's instability, Fre wondered making her way out of the room.

"Well, you aren't wrong." Fre purred quietly, sitting beside her companion.

Doctor Puho smiled, a breathy chuckle leaving him as his fingers wrapped around the woman's waist. They were quiet, enjoying the moment between having to do something, something which was far and few between.

"At least Doctor Tron seems to have rapport with her, and Brooken is fantastic with patients." Puho hummed. "For now we'll wait till we've built a relationship."


End file.
